What I am really bad at is sleeping in a bus over night, especially when the air-conditioning is at -4.2°C. But enough of the complaining, who doesn’t like such views? Sadly we couldn’t just stop to enjoy the scenery better.

Unluckily, there elf six galleries were under construction. So I only saw a small part which was not even much worth it.
I still like walking through museum shops to look at all the interesting stuff that I can’t afford.

No trip to Guatapé would be complete without climbing up the 675 steps of the huge rock, El Peñol, and taking in the 365view of the reservoir that awaits. Different story’s existing why this stone is here, but at the end it’s because of the continental shift. All the surrounding water is artificial to produce energy for Medellin and other cities around.
The walk only takes 30 minutes and is completely worth the potential sore muscles that you may have afterwards.Read more

Medellín - a city with a famous but dark past. Formerly known as the home and main city for a well known drug criminal, in these days Medellín has managed to be in the news for more positive things, winning a prize for „most innovative city“ just a few years ago.
And we think: well deserved.
Medellín is such an interesting -and safe (expect for pickpocketing like in every other big city)- city, that still tries to deal with the dark times from the 80s and 90s. As you see the numbers, you might realize.... it’s Not that Long ago! And that’s truly important to know. The people affected by the times, are still alive and processing bombs, loss of dear ones and living in constant fear. Therefore it is so important to not being disrespectful by reducing Medellín to Pablo Escobar or even buying and wearing a shirt of him or romanticizing this cruel man.
Interesting fact, because of his social engagements like building houses for the poor, there are also some (but not many) Colombians, which still think high of him.

We started by visiting the „Casa de La Memoria“ to see an exhibition about those dark times. It wasn’t facts and dry information, but more interactive and modern pieces to make you understand the feelings of the people to that time. It was shocking. So much Kidnapping, Death fear, and political chaos (remember FARC, yes they were there as well). But still hope, because Colombians really are a bunch of optimistics.

In the afternoon, we did an free walking tour with „Real City Tours“ and if you’re ever going to Medellín - do it! Edgar, our guide, grew up in Medellín in the 80s and 90s and was not only a witness, but was sooooo good! Speaking excellent English, he explained all about culture, history, architecture, politics and transformation.

A really important part of the transformation are, for example, the cable cars, which we took the next day. A mayor of Medellín wanted to transform the city with two pillars: social architecture and education. So simple, so effective. Building cable cars was crucial for the poor regions to have a connection to the city -to schools, to hospitals, to work. The cable cars included them back into society. On top of that, he build libraries in the poorest region on the hill, so that young people have an alternative to joining a gang in order to make some money.

Another example of transformation is „Comuna 13“, one of the most dangerous barrios during that times, changed itself completely with the help of electric escalators and lots of street art.

Of course, there is so much else to see, from statues, to churches, to nice plazas.
And a great nightlife on top of it!
We can only recommend to give Medellín a visit!Read more

Another quick flight and we arrived in Medellin.
Most famous, in recent history, for being devastated by Pablo Escobar and the out-of-control violence that was part of life in the ‘80s up until his death in ‘93. Given the impact this had on the country, and the world, we wanted to learn more and took a private city tour with a father-daughter guide duo who explained how their family was impacted by Escobar’s “narco- terrorism”. There was a time when hundreds of bombs were going off in the city every year and young kids were hired by the narcos to assasinate people, making the police likely to shoot young kids who they thought were working for the narcos. Our guide had a memory of being lined up against a wall by the police as a kid, and was only saved from execution by his grandmother rallying the neighbors to come and stop the murder.
Today, it’s a city that’s doing a wonderful job reinventing itself with many new buildings, clean and (generally) safe streets, and a mayor that locals seem to love. We thought San Francisco had hills, but much of Medellin is built on very big, steep hills. Walking here can be a major workout. We’ve enjoyed drinking in the local coffee culture here and walking through the leafy, green neighborhood. Even Christy is gaining a taste for cold-brew coffee with sparkling water added to it. Delicious!Read more